Skip to main content

Micro Action Sets in Christmas Catalogs


Here are Micro Action sets being featured in period catalogs. All the images on this page are taken from and used with the kind permission of WishbookWeb.com, the vintage Christmas catalog archive. Check out the site for a real nostalgia trip!

The 1989 Sears Wishbook (2 images below) - The carrier (item 4) is referred to as a “Helicopter Attack Cruiser” and came with three helicopters (one of which is the larger, ripcord-powered flying copter). The ship pictured may be a prototype as the guns on the deck are gray rather than black and there are different stickers on the island and in front of the island. The “Cargo Plane” (item 5) is shown with 14 Micro Action vehicles (including 7 “Collector Series I” jets).

Side note: Item 10 is from Imperial’s “Steel Screamers” line. The jets in this line were die-cast metal and used both Funrise and Galoob sculpts.



The 1990 JC Penney Christmas Catalog (1 image below) - The “Micro Action Super Cruiser” (item E) is shown with the black guns and stickers seen on the production version and came with 13 helicopters (one being the ripcord copter). The “Micro Action Transport Helicopter” is the military version and came with 24 Micro Action military vehicles.


The 1991 Sears Wishbook (1 image below) - The “Micro Action Cargo Plane” (item 3) is pictured with 16 Micro Action jets and 8 Micro Action military vehicles (item 4 and sold separately). The jets are from both “Collector Series I” and “Collector Series II”. Despite what the picture shows, the description claims you’d receive 12 jets and 12 military vehicles.


The 1994 JC Penney Christmas Catalog (1 image below) - The “Aircraft Carrier” (item H) is the electronic version and is supposed to have come with two jets. I own an example of this item, complete with the original white catalog box.


The 1996 JC Penney Christmas Catalog (1 image below) - The “Transport Helicopter” (item 13) is the rescue version of the same mold shown in the 1990 catalog. It came with 24 Micro Action cars and trucks. I also own an example of this item with the original white catalog box. The “C5-A Military Cargo Jet” (item 16) came with 24 Micro Action military vehicles.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Micro Action Jet Aircraft Carrier

The "Micro Action Jet Aircraft Carrier" is both a playset and a carry/storage container for your fleet of jets. The top deck can be removed revealing a 4-compartment storage area in the hull. The deck connects to pegs on the hull via a clip at the bow and a pair of clips at the stern. I have seen examples with these clips broken off so care should always be used when attaching and detaching the deck. There are two rubber band-powered catapults on the deck (pull back the catapult until it clicks in place and press the black button to release). These rubber bands can be replaced (should they break or dry out) by unscrewing the mechanism from the underside of the deck. The island can be removed from the top deck as it simply pegs into four holes in the deck but be careful as these pegs are fragile and are often broken on loose examples (mine is missing two of the pegs). There are three black plastic accessories (a gun turret, an antenna array and a radar dish) that peg into

Identifying Funrise Micro Action Jets

Funrise "Micro Action" jets are often found mixed in with collections of "Micro Machines" toys. While similar in size and sculpting, the Funrise jets are easily distinguished from their Galoob counterparts: PAINT and DECO: While Galoob painted many of its jets in realistic color schemes they also used wilder patterns and bright neon colors to catch the attention of their target audience. Funrise did not use bright colors. Most Funrise jets primarily came in one of two realistic color schemes: green camouflage or plain gray. Galoob was also more varied and detailed in the deco printed onto their planes while Funrise jets have much simpler deco. Lastly, the tip of the front "landing gear" on Galoob jets is often painted black to represent the tire. This is never seen on Funrise jets. WHEELS: A quick and easy way to distinguish Funrise's products from those of Galoob is to look at the wheels. The wheel block on Funrise jets is always unpainted gray

Tupolev TU-22 Blinder Bomber

Name (as shown on packaging): Tupolev TU-22 Blinder Bomber Color Scheme: gray Left Wing: red star Right Wing: red star Tail: HL 096 Date Stamp: 1989 NOTE: This is one of the double axle "bombers and cargo planes" jets with "DELES" markings instead of "FUNRISE."